BLM to host California Desert District Advisory Council meeting and field tour December 6 -7

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - The Bureau of Land Management will host an in-person public meeting of the BLM California Desert District Advisory Council on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites, 861 NV-160, Pahrump, NV 89048. The meeting is open to the public with a public comment period scheduled at 9:30 a.m.

The Desert Advisory Council meeting will include a presentation on the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area Business Plan fee proposal with an opportunity for public comment and a DAC vote, and a presentation and DAC vote on the U.S. Forest Service's Angeles National Forest fee proposal. The five field offices and fire program will also report on their activities.

The meeting will include a virtual option via Zoom. Meeting participants must register in advance to attend in Zoom. Upon registering, participants will receive an email including the meeting link and dial-in numbers. The public will have the opportunity to address the Desert Advisory Council only during public comment periods and time for individual comments may be limited due to the number of persons wishing to speak. Written comments may also be emailed in advance of the meeting to [email protected] and will be recorded in the meeting minutes.

The BLM will host a field tour on Friday, Dec. 6, and visit public lands managed by the Barstow Field Office including Dumont Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area, the borehole at Tecopa Hot Springs, and sites in the Amargosa River watershed. The tour will also include a stop at China Ranch Date Farm. Members of the public are welcome on the field tour, but must provide their own transportation, meals, and water. To attend the field tour, please RSVP by Friday, Nov. 29 to [email protected]. The meeting agenda and field tour can be reviewed in advance.

Advisory councils, such as the Desert Advisory Council, provide advice and recommendations for BLM consideration on resource and land-management issues within the agency. These citizen-based councils consist of 10 to 15 members from diverse interests in local communities who assist in the development of committee recommendations that address public land management issues.